Peach Time!

Red strawberries and cherries are gone. Blueberries are dwindling. But peaches are here! Those golden globes of drippingly juicy sweetness are finally ripening and ready for picking. The trees are kept short to accommodate pickers and the grassy lanes between the rows keep the shoes relatively clean. The bees and yellowjackets are not yet at work as there is not much fruit drop.

Now is a great time to pick and process these delicious varieties for winter eating and baking. The early varieties like Red Haven and Sun Star are freestone, meaning the pits don't cling to the flesh. They are fairly easy to peel when allowed to rest for a day or two after picking. The later varieties will come soon to extend the season with intriguing names such as Elberta and Suncrest.

In addition to canning peach slices or halves, you can mix up pie filling, eight cups per gallon bag, and store it in your freezer for quick winter desserts such as pies, cobbler or crisp. Peach jam is always a favorite, either canned or frozen types. That sweet taste of summer on a chilly fall or winter day will bring memories of warm afternoons rushing back. Peach jam on toast with a cup of coffee in January will quell the winter blues and give you hope for another season of fruit.

Many orchards are close to residential areas. My special field is a mere ten minutes from my front door. Because the season is only 40 days or so long, it is imperative to get out and fill your boxes before regret settles in over another missed crop.  Grab them now and enjoy another fabulous Northwest fruit crop. Don't let any of those sunny peaches fall to waste on the ground.